The Charismatic Voice

In this episode, we continue our conversation with Arjen Lucassen. Not just the tallest guitar player in the world, Arjen has consolidated his love of movies, music, and the concept of time travel on his newest project, Star One. Not only that, it's a collaboration-filled project with other great artists as they make music and magic – together.

Listen in as Arjen shares his opinion of opera, how to create an inner circle of music advisors, time travel, producing Star One, musical comic books, and much more! It's amazing how Arjen values interacting with his fans, pretty much evident by the way he makes music as well as his guessing games that add a fun extra dimension to his projects that his fans truly love.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Collaborating with other artists and giving them freedom
• The power of always looking for challenges
• Having a circle of trust to give you feedback and help you make decisions
• The Star One production process
• The importance of having an interaction with your fans
• Arjen's other musical influences

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Supporting Resources:

https://www.arjenlucassen.com/content/

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

What exactly goes into making an opera metal? Or is it the other way around – do you make metal operatic?

Today's guest is Arjen Lucassen, the mastermind composer, multi-instrument player, and producer of both Ayreon and Star One. Arjen is known, not only for his massive collaborative projects but also for having a knack for finding the best singers to collaborate with – singers that can handle both metal and opera, and lots in between.

Arjen has worked with almost every major metal talent that I've been introduced to in the last 2 years – and all of them can't speak highly enough of Arjen. His ability to scout and retain great talent is unparalleled.

Everyone wants to work with him as well because he makes them sound greater. He coaches them in a way that encourages creativity and excellence. Indeed, he is a master of finding great talent – and even making them greater. Listen in as we try to dig up Arjen's secret to finding great singers, how he approaches the collaborative process, and how he puts metal and opera together.

In this episode, you will hear:

• The importance of staying in contact with your community
• Arjen's early influences and how he developed his own style of music
• Electric vs. acoustic guitar
• What he does as a multi-instrumentalist and the importance of sound production
• Loudness wars and paying attention to the health of your ears
• His talent and passion for discovering talents
• The back-and-forth process of working with a singer

Subscribe and Review

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We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources: https://www.arjenlucassen.com/content/

Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

Last week, we began this interview with two incredible artists Russell Allen and Anette Olzon, who have now released two albums together. Interestingly, this episode is the first time they're meeting face-to-face. Russell and Anette are having fun talking about their love of music and family, and also joking about growing old in the music industry.

This week, we're going to continue the story by discussing how sound can heal, which straws are best for singers, and how placement can be helpful for extending your range. They also explain why they don't want to go to shows when not on tour.

This episode is filled with great energy coming from their first time meeting, making it a fun and light episode to listen to!

In this episode, you will hear:

• Music as therapy
• How words in a song resonate more than spoken words
• Having vocal nodes isn't the end of your music career
• How being in a choir increases good hormones
• The best thing you can do for your voice
• Placement in singing by feeling the vibrations of your body

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We'd love for you to subscribe if you haven't yet.

We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

Army of Dreamers

https://youtu.be/067e-cLzUPM

Follow Russell on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russellallen1971/?hl=en

Follow Anette on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anetteolzonofficial/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anetteolzon_official/?hl=en

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

Today's conversation is made twice the fun as we feature two veteran vocalists, Russell Allen and Anette Olzon, who are legends on their own.

Russell Allen is known for his work with Symphony X and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and Anette Olzon is known for her work with Nightwish. Russell and Anette recently collaborated and released their second album together, titled Army of Dreamers. Yet, it's funny how these two fantastic artists had never met in person and never had a conversation before. And the way that they grow on each other as our tea time progresses is delightful to witness.

Also, I find it fascinating how fame affects people differently. Both Russell and Anette have toured the world. Although they've seen a lot in their career, they both seem to particularly love the moments at home, in peace and quiet, with their family. Russell is also creating a video game and he's happy to have his kid test it out!

In this episode, you will hear:

• Russell working as a knight at Medieval Times Dinner Theater
• Improvising their performance to "save the day"
• Exposing your kids to music education
• Their experience collaborating on an album
• How to approach recording without overtaxing your larynx
• Using technology to produce something really cool

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We'd love for you to subscribe if you haven't yet.

We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

Arrny of Dreamers

https://youtu.be/067e-cLzUPM

Follow Russell on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russellallen1971/?hl=en

Follow Anette on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anetteolzonofficial/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anetteolzon_official/?hl=en

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

It's time for yet another episode of healthy screaming with Will Ramos, the lead vocalist of the deathcore band, Lorna Shore.

Last week, we looked at how Will Ramos nurtured his voice to sound like a Nazgul. Today, we continue the conversation by talking more about how to NOT mess up your voice while screaming. Learn some tips on healthy screaming, relaxing to improve technique, and how scatting can improve deathcore.

Will values taking care of his voice just as much as an opera singer would. It's also so much fun to hear him talk about cross-training in Tuvan throat singing as one of the ways that he takes care of his voice.

Oh, and did I tell you that we actually put a camera down Will's throat to see what it's like now after years of heavy screaming? The result might just surprise you!

In this episode, you will hear:

• How to scream better and avoid damage
• What it was like getting COVID as a singer
• The scatting approach
• Will's bucket list for collabs
• His transition to becoming the Lorna Shore frontman
• The future of extreme metal
• Tips to get started with metal screaming

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We'd love for you to subscribe if you haven't yet.

We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

Here's the YouTube video of Will's throat being scoped: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua8SuWNPrLE

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

Imagine a goblin meeting a Nazgul, and together they decided to sing an epic opera using only harsh vocals. That's what our guest today, Will Ramos sounds like. Will is the lead harsh vocalist of the deathcore band, Lorna Shore – and the sounds he makes are almost unreal!

Many traditional singing teachers would point to his grunts and gurgles and say that he's destroying his voice – but he isn't.

We actually decided to put a camera down his throat, and surprisingly, it was even more amazing than I had anticipated. Will engaged multiple areas of his vocal tract, from false folds to aryepiglottic. At one point, his throat even constricted so much that it looked like a black hole trying to suck the camera down. Whoa!

But the most fascinating thing from putting a camera down Will's throat was the asymmetry we found, where there's a twisting motion that happens inside his larynx. It's likely part of what contributes to Will's unique sound.

In this episode, you will hear:

• How word noises can lead to a career
• Transitioning from classical studies to metal
• Singing live is like mixing your vocals
• Will's unique sound and vocal technique
• Vocal effort vs. efficiency
• Vocal warm-up and exercise for false chord vocals

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We'd love for you to subscribe if you haven't yet.

We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

Here's the YouTube video of Will's throat being scoped: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua8SuWNPrLE

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

Last week, we started a conversation with Simone Simons, the lead singer of Dutch symphonic metal band Epica. We discussed how she got into singing and blending classical and contemporary techniques.

This week, we continue the conversation as Simone talks about online singing lessons, taking pride in pregnant bellies, what singing felt like after giving birth, and our favorite Disney voices. She also dishes out some singing tips like using eyebrows to get to that high note and how she memorizes ALL THOSE LYRICS.

This episode also shows so many facets of pregnancy and being a new mom that most people wouldn't normally consider. This is a truly heart-warming conversation between two moms, about motherhood and our shared passion for singing.

Epica will be touring in North and South America throughout the rest of 2022, and throughout Europe in early 2023. They also recently released their new album, Omega, available on your regular streaming services, or purchase it online at epica.nl.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Why you shouldn't be breathing too high
• The different types of breathing
• Keeping your shoulders calm, and your chest and belly active
• Our favorite Disney voices
• Singing after labor: understanding the changes in your body
• Epica's Wall of Death

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We'd love for you to subscribe if you haven't yet.

We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

https://www.epica.nl/

www.smoonstyle.com

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

Simone Simons may look like a supermodel – she has the blog, photographs and beauty partnerships to back it up – but she is much more than just the face of the Dutch metal band, Epica. Simone has a voice and a lifestyle to be reckoned with.

Simone's vocals are widely recognized for both their beauty and power. As the frontwoman of a symphonic metal band with death metal tendencies, Simone brings versatility in singing styles, combining both classical and contemporary technique.

In this episode, we discuss how she got into singing in the first place, how she blended classical and contemporary techniques, and how she kept her infant son quiet while recording. I also wanted to discuss something I have recently experienced as well – how pregnancy and being a mother actually affected the voice. And so, this is also a bonding conversation between two new moms!

Epica will be touring in North and South America throughout the rest of 2022, and throughout Europe in early 2023. They also recently released their new album, Omega, available on your regular streaming services or purchase it online at epica.nl.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Navigating pregnancy and motherhood
• Vocal rest and building endurance
• Head-banging techniques
• Getting the right tips and being able to apply them right away
• Classical singing techniques: body position, breathing, & reaching high notes
• How young is too young to sing opera?
• How every note is essentially its own register

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We'd love for you to subscribe if you haven't yet.

We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

https://www.epica.nl/

www.smoonstyle.com

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

If you're a fan of the television series, Vikings, then you've most likely already heard the beautiful music created by the folk music band, Heilung. This is the second part of my interview with Heilung's female lead, Maria Franz. She's also the lead vocal for two other bands, Euzen and Songleikr.

In this episode, Maria talks about the process of creating her amazing look. Maria is most often seen with Heilung in this white, ceremonial costume, with long antlers emerging from her head, a long, white gown, her hair, beads dangling from her sleeves, and a headband with a white fringe covering her eyes.

We dive into her pre-performance routine and talk about vocal mentors and development, and how COVID has impacted the band. Maria also shares the best venues to experience their trance-inducing performances. Their upcoming album, Drif, releases on August 19th of 2022.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Pre-performance routines: mental preparation
• Focusing on the message you're bringing to the audience
• Maria's favorite performance at Castlefest
• Her garb, hair, and makeup process
• Learning the correct way of pronouncing ancient language
• Does she improvise during live shows?
• Heilung tech complications

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We'd love for you to subscribe if you haven't yet.

We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

https://www.facebook.com/amplifiedhistory

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

No one knows what music from the Bronze or Iron Ages sounds like, but the musical group Heilung presents a version of what music in that era could have sounded like. Their music is often described as "amplified history" and it evokes something primal in audiences around the world.

In this two-part episode, we sit down with Maria Franz, the lead female singer of Heilung, as well as two other bands, Euzen and Songleikr. We shared a cup of tea while chatting about how they're creating intriguing sounds, fantasy roleplaying, and the banshee wails.

Maria's vocal creativity had already blown me away, and I was so eager to ask her about how she had developed such a unique sound and vocal technique. Maria decided to quit smoking to help preserve her voice. It's incredible how much anything that affects a person's body will also affect the voice. After all, the voice is IN our bodies, so anything you ingest or do will, in some way, work itself into your vocal folds.

Allow Heilung's music to sweep you away into another time and moment in history and grab a copy of their new album, Drif, which releases on August 19.

In this episode, you will hear:

• How Maria ended up being part of Heilung
• How Heilung makes their music organically and where they draw inspiration from
• Capturing professional-level audio outside of the recording studio
• Getting the audience as part of the ritual
• Making the banshee wail
• Maria's vocal techniques: expanding the rib cage and the back muscle support
• How everything you do affects your vocal cords

Subscribe and Review

Have you subscribed to our podcast? We'd love for you to subscribe if you haven't yet.

We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Supporting Resources:

https://www.facebook.com/amplifiedhistory

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.